Widespread Protests in Various Iranian Cities Over Power Outages
Residents of various Iranian cities from north to central regions protested Monday evening, July 5th, against recurring power cuts by gathering in front of electricity company offices in their cities.
Videos of protest gatherings by residents of cities including Babol, Babolsar, Amol, Qaemshahr, Rey, Shiraz, and Kazerun have been shared on social networks, some accompanied by slogans against the Islamic Republic government officials. Among the protesters in front of Rey’s electricity office, chants of “Incompetent minister, resign, resign” were heard.
Another video from Shiraz during a blackout shows protesters chanting against Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic. These chants include “Death to the dictator” and “Death to Khamenei.”
The same occurred Sunday evening in Tehran, with images of capital residents’ protests shared on social networks showing protesters chanting against Khamenei from their windows during blackouts.
Throughout Monday, domestic Iranian news agencies published reports of protest gatherings in front of electricity offices in cities including Gorgan, Bandar Gaz, Bandar Turkmen, and Aqqala, indicating the widespread nature of protests, particularly in northern cities.
Protesters say their homes’ electricity is cut three or four times daily, each time for at least two hours, and the recurring power cuts have caused numerous problems including water supply interruptions to apartment buildings, spoilage of meat and poultry and other items in refrigerators, and damage to household appliances.
A video from an ICU section of a hospital has also been released in which a person explains that emergency power generators are unable to support devices in this section, which represents a doubled threat to patients.
Meanwhile, Tehran’s General and Revolutionary Prosecutor announced the judiciary’s intervention in the recurring power cuts issue, stating that orders have been given for the matter to be followed up by relevant officials in the electricity sector.
Ali Ghassemi-Mehr said: “Regarding the recurring power cuts today (Monday, July 5th), a session was held at Tehran’s governorate, and we instructed our deputy in charge of public rights to follow up on the matter through relevant officials in the electricity sector.”
When asked whether negligence occurred in the recurring power cuts issue, he simply stated that “the matter is under investigation.”
Since last month, power cuts have caused problems for the daily lives of many Iranian citizens.
Disruption of government offices and small workshops, hundreds of people trapped in elevators, traffic disruptions, damage to citizens’ household appliances, defeat of Iran’s chess champions in online international competitions, and the possible loss of coronavirus vaccines in health centers are among these problems.
Officials mention the intensification of drought and the faster activation of agricultural wells as other reasons for the recent power shortage in Iran. However, in December of last year, following widespread power cuts in several cities, it was announced that bitcoin cryptocurrency mining and its heavy strain on the national power grid was the main cause of the incident.
Source: Radio Farda
